


i will rearrange the stars (pull 'em down to where you are)

by orphan_account



Series: ABC's of Bee [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Break Up, F/M, Makeup, Post-Break Up, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:33:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22782583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: 1. “after all these years, you still haven’t changed a bit.” (via @exotic-writer's abc prompts) for Aged Up! Lukanette
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: ABC's of Bee [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637887
Comments: 5
Kudos: 76





	i will rearrange the stars (pull 'em down to where you are)

**Author's Note:**

> This was a stress reliever for me and I haven't written in a while, because things have been rocky for me, but this was a relief for me to write, and for these lovely babies, too. You all already know I specialize in angst so :)

* * *

Marinette had fallen into a routine after Luka had left a mark on her soul, but had to exit out her life because Marinette was afraid she was holding him back from pursuing his dreams. 

They had only dated for a couple of years, as she entered her nineteenth birthday, well into her twenty-first, before time pulled them apart again. They were the happiest two years of Marinette’s life. 

It had broken Marinette, to say the least, when everything had collapsed and she was left in the rubble.

Alya was as supportive as ever, helping her get back up on her feet, before Marinette collapsed on her bed again once she got home, the quiet consuming her with Luka’s song and notes full of discord and hurt, as she flipped on her speaker to drown out her own cries.

She would often hold herself as a cup of coffee, just the way he liked it, sat in front of her, as if that was enough to bring him back, late into the nights. 

She would find herself peering over the balcony, as if he’d walk down that street any moment like he used to, before he up and left, and Marinette knew it was no way to keep living, when he was having the time of his life touring the world, but she couldn’t help it.

How do you live with the ghost of a person who’s still very much alive and well without you?

She would see his face in all the lovers she was too afraid to expose herself in front of, as she teasingly ran a hand through their hair and would find herself shutting the door on them as she broke down crying on the couch, after they had breathlessly tried to gulp out her name and stammered out the all too familiar, “Ma-ma-marinette”.

It was for the best, she had told Luka as she terminated their relationship. 

But she had never considered how much love was still left pouring over the table when he had only silently nodded, his eyes signaling he was too exhausted from work to argue, and he left without another word.

Nino, Adrien, and Alya comforted her, promising her that time would heal all wounds, and Marinette was skeptical, but she found herself no longer avoiding her favorite coffee shop she used to go in all the time with Luka on Sunday afternoons. 

A couple of years passed by and the ache in her chest went from a constant, present pain, to a minor, throbbing one that came and went with the seasons.

She focused on her career and learned to live with the break-up, getting up every morning and reminding herself it wasn’t the end of the world, even if it felt that way. 

She reconnected with old friends and once in awhile, would turn on the evening news to see if Luka was doing well, and although she had his phone number at her fingertips, her pride wouldn’t let her pick up the phone and call.

But from what she could see, he was doing well. 

And for once, Marinette didn’t feel her heart clench and twist in agony. It rejoiced for his success and happiness. 

* * *

“Plain black coffee, with only a tiny hint of sugar.”

Her eyes lit up and she dared to sneak a side-glance at the source of the voice in the coffee shop. 

Could it be-

His hair was tied back into a bun and as he moved his hand to his pocket, Marinette could see his back muscles through his white t-shirt. 

It was that same back she held onto and traced the scars on, from his days working on the boat that sometimes gave him injuries from falling things. She had kissed each and every single one of them countless times and memorized each stroke and line that was marked onto his skin. 

From what she could see, he was smiling and it had that same, childish charm he always possessed and his hands were telling a vivid story, as Marinette kept stealing glances, hoping he wouldn’t notice that she was unable to tear her gaze away from him.

She shut her laptop closed and began to pack up her things. 

It was for the best she made her exit out of the coffee shop and she hastily began to shove everything else that wasn’t coffee or a pastry into her bag, cramming her laptop last and slinging her bag over her shoulder, trying to leave as discreetly and as quickly as possible. 

“You weren’t really going to leave without saying hello, were you, Ma-ma-Marinette?” His voice stopped her dead in her tracks, before she could open the door, and even if her brain was telling her to go, her heart was desperately begging her to stay.

“After all these years, you haven’t changed a bit.” Marinette shook her head with a small smile forming on her lips and she decided to stay. 

She was going to stay and invite him to have coffee with her and-

“Would you like to sit with me and talk things over? I’m afraid we left things on a sour note and I haven’t gone a day without thinking about you, angel.”

He beat her to it. Her hands inched towards her phone, feeling so, so guilty she never picked up his calls or returned them, too angry and hurt to do so.

“I’d love that.” She swallowed, and followed him to a small table by the window, where she took the seat across from him and she realized, as he asked about how she’d been, the love was still there. 

It was tucked under layers and layers of denial and it was blooming again, as she chuckled at a cheesy joke he made and how easily they fell back into a conversation, as if they hadn’t talked to each other in a long time. The time passed by fast, and it had been one in the afternoon when she had sat down, but her clock now read two-thirty. She forgot when she spent time with Luka, everything passed by her without a care in the world. 

Even though she enjoyed the easy conversation, there was still a pressing question she knew she had to ask if they wanted to move forward with each other or their lives. 

“This is going to sound so silly and stupid, but did I ever hold you back?” Marinette asked and his fingers almost met hers across the table, but she withdrew her hand swiftly, afraid of his response.

“You never did.” Luka reassured her, and it was now her turn to reach for his hands, which he gave to her gladly, missing his warmth that he never failed to offer, “I’ve missed you so much.”

_This is a fresh start_ , she realized, to love again and be loved without fearing he’d walk out or if she was holding him back. 

“I have, too.” Marinette confessed, and she felt everything fall into place around her. 

“This is for the best. For the both of us. To give each other another shot.”

And Marinette chose to believe him and leap into it, trusting him completely. 

* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr @vipernette or on twitter @vipernette!


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